(NEW YORK) -- The New England Patriots have filed tampering charges against the New York Jets over comments made by team owner Woody Johnson during an end-of-season press conference.

The NFL office is looking into whether Johnson committed a violation for comments he made regarding cornerback Darrelle Revis.

During a December 29th press conference, when Johnson announced the firing of Rex Ryan and John Idzik, a reporter responding to Johnson's acknowledgement that the team should have spent more money last season asked, "how much of it was your decision [to not re-sign Revis], when he made it clear he wanted to come back?"

"Darrelle is a great player and if I thought I could have gotten him for that, I probably would have taken him," Johnson responded. "It was our best judgment to do what we did, but I'd love for Darrelle to come back."

Johnson realizing he made a mistake in his comments issued a statement the next day saying he, "misspoke" and called Patriots owner Robert Kraft to "emphasize those points."

If found in violation of the league's anti-tampering rules, Johnson could face a fine or the team could forfeit a draft pick.

Revis is due $20 million next year as a contract option with the Patriots. If they decline the option, he will become a free agent.

Al Bello/Getty Images(FOXBORO, Ma.) -- The end of the line is nearing for Trent Richardson with the Indianapolis Colts.

One week after being a healthy inactive for the Colts divisional win over the Denver Broncos, Richardson did not travel to New England, for "personal reasons," the team announced Saturday.

"[Being inactive] will never happen to me again," Richardson said Thursday. "Anybody can quote me, today, because it's never going to happen again."

Richardson was the third overall pick in the 2012 draft. The Cleveland Browns changed their front office a year later and shipped him to the Colts.

"It was such a bold and aggressive move and so forth, but really from a football standpoint, we needed a starting running back," General manager Ryan Grigson said one year ago. "Trent was made available. ...I'm glad we have him for the long haul. It was very economically wise as a franchise to make the move given where we're going with the run game."

Indianapolis traded a 2013 first round pick for Richardson to the Cleveland Browns. In 29 games with the Colts, he has amassed just 977 rushing yards.

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Mass.) -- The New England Patriots are making their third straight AFC Championship game appearance on Sunday when they host the Colts.

Patriots running back Shane Vereen stressed the importance of getting off to a fast start and making sure they do everything they can to punch their ticket to Super Bowl 49.

"If we go out there and lay an egg then it really doesn't matter if we've been here before or not," Vereen said on Friday. "Each year is something different, each team each year is a different animal, and we have our hands full this Sunday."

New England joined the San Francisco 49ers to become the first teams since the Eagles (2001-04) to go to at least three straight Conference championships after they beat Baltimore on Saturday.

"Unfortunately since I've been here we kind of got stopped a little quicker then we wanted to," linebacker Dont'a Hightower said on Friday. "You kind of want to leave those things in the past. I definitely feel throughout this week, we've all been kind of approaching it as doing as much as you can each day."

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has won five AFC title games out of eight appearances, which puts him in a tie with Hall of Famer John Elway for the most conference titles in NFL history during the Super Bowl era.

"As you get older experience is definitely good as long as you play well," said Brady, who has three Super Bowl rings. "It's a game like all the other games. We're very fortunate to be in this position."

The Patriots last Super Bowl appearance was in 2012 when they fell to the Giants, 21-17. Their last Super Bowl title came against the Eagles in 2005.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Mass) -- New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick knows it won't be easy on Sunday against the Colts in the AFC Championship game.

Belichick is getting his defense ready for one of the best quarterbacks in the league -- Andrew Luck, who has tossed three touchdowns and thrown for 641 yards in the postseason so far.

"He's got a lot of strengths, no weaknesses," Belichick said Wednesday.

"He's got a great future in front of him," Belichick continued. "He's already done a lot in the time that he's been in the league, and I'm sure by the time he gets done he can pass a lot of guys by."

"Luck's hard to bring down," Belichick added. "He runs very well. He's athletic. He can get outside and make yards with his legs. They also use him on some keep-type plays, you know, the one he scored on for example in the Denver game last week."

Luck and the Colts are coming off beating the Broncos in Denver last weekend.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images(BOSTON, Ma.) -- Tom Brady respects Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh, but believes the Patriots did nothing wrong in their win over the Ravens in Saturday's AFC Divisional match.

Brady, on his weekly radio appearance on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan Show, explained that trick plays, deception and misdirection are all part of football.

"Let me say first, I have a lot of respect for him as a coach, and obviously that team is one of the toughest teams we face. It's always a tough match-up," Brady said.

"It was a play that we liked and we thought would work. We had a couple versions of it. It's kind of an alert play for our team, and we made them figure out what to do," Brady continued. "I think that's what it looked like to me. We had to execute it, we had to make the appropriate calls and block it and make the plays, and I was proud of us. That was a good weapon for us. That's part of football. You have to prepare for everything."

The issue lies in the Patriots lining up four offensive linemen and one wide receiver that declares as ineligible. A player that is ineligible cannot cross the line of scrimmage until a pass is thrown or on a running play. The Patriots did this on three plays.

The Ravens took exception to this because of the difficulty in figuring out whom to cover. Harbaugh was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the game when he ran onto the field to alert an official of the issue.

The NFL ruled that what the Patriots was legal as defined by the rule book.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The New England Patriots are already looking ahead to the future as they have agreed on contract extensions with safety Patrick Chung and running back Brandon Bolden.

ESPN reports Chung's deal is for three years and worth up to $8.2 million, with $3.4 million of that guaranteed.

Meanwhile Bolden signed a two-year deal worth $2.32 million

Chung spent the first four years of his career with the Patriots and was a solid defender for them as they made the playoffs on an annual basis. He played for the Philadelphia Ealges in 2013, but re-signed with the team in 2014 and recorded 85 tackles -- the most he's had in a season 2010.

The 24-year-old Bolden is in his third season with the Patriots. He had just 28 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown, but his true value comes on special teams. He's considered one of the team's best special teams players so his value does not also show up in the box score.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Mass.) -- The New England Patriots outscored the Miami Dolphins 27-0 in the second half to stampede to their sixth consecutive AFC East title by winning 41-13 Sunday.The Patriots (11-3) scored on all four of their third-quarter offensive series, the first coming after quarterback Tom Brady scrambled for a clutch 17-yard first-down run on third and 11 to set up a LeGarrette Blount 3-yard touchdown run."I think it was a play that we needed to make so it was good to make it at that time," Brady said of his first-down run. "I was going to slide but I was pretty [upset] that time so I figured I wouldn't slide."The Dolphins (7-7) hung tough in the first half after the Patriots ran the ball three times without gaining a first down. Jarvis Landry returned a punt 32 yards to put Miami on the Patriots' 32-yard line with 11 seconds to play. The following play, Ryan Tannehill went deep to Mike Wallace, who made an acrobatic catch in the left corner of the end zone. The play was initially called incomplete, but the call was reversed after review.Despite their strong first half, the Dolphins couldn't get anything going in the second half as the Patriots avenged their early-season loss that was suffered in Miami."Going down there and losing Week 1; we've been waiting all season to get back and play this game,' Patriots safety Devin McCourty said. "So I thought we did a great job in the second half of playing good football and executing."

Jim Rogash/Getty Images(SAN DIEGO) -- The New England Patriots scored 10 points in the fourth quarter while holding San Diego scoreless in the second half to come away with a 23-14 win on Sunday night. With the win, New England (10-3) keeps the top spot in the AFC as they hold the tie-breaker with Denver.

The deciding play came halfway through the fourth quarter when Julian Edelman caught a short pass from Tom Brady and ran an extra 55 yards to the end zone, extending the Patriots lead.

New England trailed 14-6 in the second quarter before a blocked punt and Rob Gronkowski's 10th touchdown catch of the year brought them within a point.

Gronkowski became the first tight end in NFL history with four seasons of double-digit touchdown catches.

The Chargers (8-5) struggled to respond despite leading 14-13 at the half. It was a stark contrast from the first half when San Diego scored twice in a span of 2 minutes and 33 seconds. Quarterback Philip Rivers only threw for 189 yards and one touchdown, tossing a second half interception that halted a potential scoring drive.

Brady finished the day with 317 passing yards and two touchdowns in the comeback win. New England also notched their 12th straight 10-win season.

Tom Lynn /Getty Images(GREEN BAY, Wisc.) -- The Green Bay Packers went up 13-0 in the first quarter and held on late as Aaron Rodgers outdueled Tom Brady, beating the New England Patriots 26-21 on Sunday afternoon. The matchup was the first ever meeting between two of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

The Packers (9-3) got a pair of Mason Crosby field goals to open the scoring, before Rodgers found Richard Rodgers for a 32-yard touchdown pass and a 13-0 advantage. New England (9-3) got on the board quickly in the second with a 6-yard run from Brandon Bolden, making it a 13-7 game. After a third Crosby field goal the two teams traded touchdown passes, giving Green Bay a 23-14 lead at halftime.

A scoreless third quarter set up a dramatic final frame with the Patriots closing the gap almost immediately. Just over a minute into the period, Brady connected with Brandon LaFell on a 15-yard scoring play that brough New England within two at 23-21. Crosby would add another field goal, his fourth of the game, to make it a five point lead with less than nine minutes remaining in regulation.

New England looked to drive down the field and had a 3rd-and-nine at the Packers 20-yard line. Brady, who had not been sacked all game, was brought down for a 9-yard loss. That was followed by a missed field goal from Stephen Gostkowski, giving the ball back to Green Bay. With no timeouts, the Patriots could not stop the clock as the Packers improved to 6-0 at home.

Both quarterbacks performed well with each tossing a pair of touchdowns and neither throwing an interception. However, Rodgers was 24-for-38 for 368 yards while Brady was just 22-for-35 for only 245 yards.

John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images(MASSACHUSETTS) -- Aaron Hernandez has had his trial for a 2012 double murder delayed so his lawyers could prepare for the 2013 killing of Odin Lloyd.

Hernandez is charged with the 2012 deaths ofDaniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. The fallen star is alleged to have killed the two men after one of them spilled a drink on him at a Boston nightclub.

Lawyers for Hernandez say they are reviewing more than 500,000 pieces of evidence and more than 300 names turned over by the district attorney's office.

The judge in the case, Jeffery Locke, has agreed to delay the case but did not set a new trial date. Locke stated that he would like to see how long the trial in Lloyd's murder takes before making a decision.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Mass.) -- Tom Brady threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns and the New England Patriots defense held the Detroit Lions in check all game en route to a 34-9 victory Sunday.The Patriots (9-2) took command of the game in the second quarter. After Matt Prater kicked a 20-yard field goal to put the Lions within one point of the Pats, New England scored 17 unanswered to go into halftime with a 24-6 lead.The second half is when the Patriots defense stepped up, allowing one field goal in six Lions' drives.LeGarrette Blount, who was cut by the Steelers and then signed by the Patriots this past week, carried the ball 12 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns.Detroit (7-4) couldn't get anything going on offense. Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate combined for only eight catches while being blanketed by Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis all afternoon.The Patriots have now won seven straight and will head to Green Bay next weekend, where they will take on the Packers (8-3). Meanwhile, the Lions, which have lost two straight, will host the Chicago Bears (5-6) on Thanksgiving.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Running back LeGarrette Blount is a New England Patriot again.After being cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, Blount signed with the Patriots Thursday, the team he played for last season.ESPN reports the deal is for two years, is worth the veteran's minimum, and comes with incentives.The 27-year-old Blount was released by the Steelers the day after he left the field -- before the team's Monday night game versus the Titans ended. Reportedly Blount was mad because he didn't receive any carries in the game. He then went unclaimed on waivers.Blount played a big role in the Patriots making the AFC Championship game last season. He ran for 166 yards and four touchdowns in the team's AFC Divisional playoff win over the Indianapolis Colts.Blount has played in 10 games this season rushing for 266 yards on 65 carries and two touchdowns.The Patriots released defensive lineman Casey Walker to open up a roster spot for Blount.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Mass.) -- The New England Patriots will travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts Sunday night.

New England quarterback Tom Brady said Wednesday that the key to beating the Colts will be putting up a lot of points.

"When you play another great offense you're going to have to put up a lot of points," Brady said. "My focus is on the other side of the ball, but you also know you're not going to be able to score 13 points and win the game."

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is on track to break Peyton Manning's single season passing yards record and is the leader of the NFL's highest scoring offense.

"He's a great player," Brady said of Luck. "He's in his third year and he's had a lot of success. They're offense is doing a great job this year, they score a lot of points especially at home and he's kind of the ring leader."

With a win on Sunday, the Patriots will remain the top seed in the AFC.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Mass.) -- Tom Brady is now 11-5 against Peyton Manning after the Patriots (7-2) blew out the Broncos (6-2) 43-21 on Sunday.

Brady was 33 for 53 with 333 yards and four touchdown passes in the rout.

"He has always set a real high bar for how to play and I have tried to do the same through my efforts with my team," Brady said. "The only thing I really care about is the respect from my team, going out there and trying to earn it. "

Manning threw for 438 yards with two interceptions and two touchdown passes in the loss.

"Well, I don't usually stink, but I stunk today," Manning said. "I don't make any excuses."

Julian Edelman had an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown, and Brady's touchdown pass to Brandon LaFell put New England up 36-14 before halftime.

"Minitron can do so many things, he's so quick," Brady said of Edelman. "What he did on the punt return was incredible."

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Both Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger had big days on Sunday, leading their teams to impressive routs. Brady and the New England Patriots easily handled the Chicago Bears 51-23 while Roethlisberger's Pittsburgh Steelers dominated in a 51-34 win over Indianapolis.

Brady tossed five touchdown passes in the romp over Chicago, continuing an impressive stretch of four straight wins. The Patriots quarterback was 30-for-35 in the win for 354 yards. New England (6-2) scored on all five possessions in the first half, leading 38-7 at halftime.

"I love coaching Tom. I've been fortunate to have him the whole career since he's been here," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He does a great job of executing the team game plan."

Meanwhile, Big Ben outdid Brady by throwing for six touchdowns, a franchise record, in a big momentum win over the Colts. The Pittsburgh quarterback also set a franchise mark with 522 passing yards while picking up his 100th career victory.

"We just felt like they couldn't stop us because we were just clicking," said Roethlisberger. "It was one of those nights that players talk about when things feel like they're going right."

The Steelers improved to 5-3 on the year and won consecutive games for the first time all season.

Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones has a hip injury that will sideline him for about a month, according to the Boston Globe.Jones is a tough loss for a Patriots defense that's already playing without defensive tackle Sealver Siliga and linebacker Jerod Mayo.The 24-year-old Jones has done well this season, leading the Patriots with 4.5 sacks. Jones also has 26 tackles, two passes defended, one forced fumble, and a blocked field goal that he recovered and returned for a touchdown.The Boston Globe also reports that due to Jones' injury, the Patriots traded for linebacker Akeem Ayers from the Tennessee Titans and will sign defensive lineman Alan Branch.The Patriots have a tough schedule coming up. This weekend they play the Chicago Bears, followed next week by the Denver Broncos -- both at home -- before getting a bye week and then going to Indianapolis to take on the Colts.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images(FOXBOROUGH, Mass.) -- In a game that ended closer than some had previously predicted, the New England Patriots look to be back on track after narrowly defeating the New York Jets 27-25 on Thursday Night Football.

With time expiring, Jets kicker Nick Folk lined up for a 58-yard field goal but it was blocked by defensive tackle Chris Jones.

"It's good to feel that ball hitting my hand and it's good to get the win," Jones said. "I just played it legally and did all that I could."

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was solid on Thursday night as he completed 20 of 37 passes for 261 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Running back Shane Vereen was the leading rusher and receiver for the Patriots as he racked up 43 yards one the ground, had 71 receiving yards, and caught two touchdowns.

After a tough start to the season, the Patriots find themselves at 5-2 through seven weeks of the regular season and are in first place in the AFC East.